Mobile tax apps can help you file or check on your return. / H&R Block

by Jennifer Jolly, Special for USA TODAY

by Jennifer Jolly, Special for USA TODAY

Every year I put off dealing with my taxes as long as I possibly can. I mean really, if only two things in life are certain, death and taxes, as the saying goes, why not put both off as long as possible, right?

Turns out, I'm not alone in my tax-time procrastination. According to the IRS, one in every four or so people in America wait to file until the last minute. While there's nothing wrong with that, I know all too well that the ole' tick-tock of the tax clock can be super stressful. Here are a few quick tech tax tools that just might help us all in filling out and filing tax returns with just a few simple taps on a touch screen.

One of the easiest and best apps to use if you if you have a simple return is the TurboTax SnapTax App. All you do is download the free app, take a quick photo of your W2, answer a few questions, and file. It takes less than ten minutes and you're done. It's so easy, it kind of makes you feel bad for putting it off for so long, especially when you're getting money back.

Of course, this doesn't work for everyone. You can't make more than $100,000 a year, own a home, or expect the app to take a shoebox full of receipts and makes any sort of sense out of them. Other than that, SnapTax is free to try, but costs $25 dollars to file both federal and state tax returns.

H&R Block has mobile tax apps too. The 1040EZ for Smartphone app can prepare your simple federal and state returns for free on Android and iPhone. But again, it's only for really simple filings. If you have dependents or any income not from a W2, you can't use file through the app alone.

From Uncle Sam himself, IRS2Go doesn't let you file taxes from an app, but you can check the status of your refund, request a copy of your tax records in the mail, and watch IRS YouTube videos. I make a face every time I read that last line â?? just thinking about watching tax videos makes me inherently cringe and/or fall asleep â?? but the videos are actually fairly informative.

The smartphone and tablet apps are free to try and you pay only if you file â?? so why not give them a try. Could save you a whole lot of time â?? and hassle.

Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy award-winning consumer tech contributor and host of USA TODAY's digital video show TECH NOW. Email her at techcomments@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly.